page_title: Timeline of the Russo-Georgian War
section_title: August 11
hierarchical_section_title: Timeline of the Russo-Georgian War / Detailed timeline / August 11
caption_attribution_description: English: Ruins of a burnt apartment building where sixteen people were killed and thirteen others injured are observed by members of U.S. European Command’s Joint Assessment team in Gori, Republic of Georgia, Aug. 25, 2008. Residents of Gori begin to return home and start to clean up their city following the recent conflict between Russia and Georgia. The Assessment team and officials from the government of Georgia tour the embattled city to assess the level of damage, status of relief efforts, and the return of displaced persons.
context_page_description: The Russo-Georgian War broke out in August 2008 and involved Georgia, Russian Federation, South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
context_section_description: The Georgian representative, Shota Utiashvili, said that Russian artillery began intensive shelling of Gori. He also said that Gori had endured air strikes prior to this and that Georgian troops were returning fire on the Russian positions. The Russian Ministry of Defense did not confirm or deny the reports. Later, large numbers of Russian ground forces entered undisputed Georgian territory and were headed to Gori. Western officials again reiterated their fears that Russia intended to overthrow the Georgian government. Anatoly Nogovitsyn had said on early 11 August that his country's aim was not to "break into" undisputed Georgia. Artillery shelling of the Georgian villages near South Ossetia had been witnessed by a reporter for The New York Times. That day, even Abkhaz separatist government was concerned about possible Russian advance.
  At 03:16 MSK, it was reported that Russians were not being allowed to leave Georgia. In the morning such reports were denied by the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs. Later, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed that it had received such reports from over 360 stranded Russian citizens.
  After Georgian troops had left Tskhinvali on 10 August, the Russians indiscriminately bombed the civilian areas in Gori on 11 August by the afternoon and this was reported by The Guardian. Aerodrome near the Azerbaijani border and a radar station in Tbilisi were also bombed by Russia on the same day. While the valley, where Gori is located, was held by Georgian forces until about 6 km (4 mi) from Tskhinvali on 10 August, Western photographers said that by afternoon of 11 August the Georgians had fallen back about 10 km (6 mi). About a dozen bombs detonated on the northern rim of the valley at about 12:30 pm. That day, reporters witnessed a skirmish near Tskhinvali after the ceasefire was offered by Georgia and bombing of civilians in Tkviavi by Russia. Gori is located 27 km (17 mi) from the South Ossetian boundary.
  Abkhaz defence minister Mirab Kishmaria threatened to kill all Georgian forces in the Kodori Gorge if they remained there. The Russian commander of the peacekeepers in Abkhazia, Major General Sergei Chaban, had given an ultimatum on 10 August to Georgian forces in the Zugdidi Municipality to disarm. Georgia declared it had received a Russian demand of disarming Georgian troops near Abkhazia through the U.N observers. In case of Georgian non-compliance, Russian troops would advance into undisputed Georgian territory.
  South Ossetian government representative Irina Gagloeva [falsely] claimed in the morning that Georgia opened the irrigation canal, supposedly in an effort to flood the basements of Tskhinvali buildings with an intention to prevent civilians from hiding from bombings.
  Russian President Medvedev said that Russian troops had "completed a significant part of the operations to oblige Georgia, the Georgian authorities, to restore peace to South Ossetia."
  Deputy Chief of the General Staff of Russia, Colonel General Anatoliy Nogovitsyn, said the Georgian troops in South Ossetia were surrounded and surrendering. Nogovitsyn also said Russia was driving out all Georgian forces from Georgian villages, and that Russia was in full control of Georgian airspace. Nogovitsyn denied that Russa had bombed oil pipelines or civilian airport, but admitted bombing of a radar.
  Bodyguards forced Georgian president Saakashvili to the ground in Gori when Russian planes flew over. Local civilians in Gori were warned that day by Georgian military of possible Russian advance; both civilians and military began abandoning Gori. Georgian official claimed that Gori was occupied by the Russian military. Georgian officials said that troops were ordered to defend Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. Tbilisi is located 64 km (40 mi) from Gori. Secretary of the Security Council, Alexander Lomaia, said that the Georgian Army was ordered to hold the city of Mtskheta, 24 km (15 mi) from Tbilisi. At about 16:14 GMT, Reuters reported that its reporter in Gori had said that there was "no trace of troops or military vehi
caption: An apartment building in Gori, damaged during the war.
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